Limits
by The Karnstein
Summary: Several pre-cautions to protect young Integra Hellsing must have been made when the No Life King was allowed into Hellsing Manor. A late night discussion with Walter laid out the unbreakable rules that both the Master and the Monster must abide by.


**Limits**

_"Make sure that he knows his limits... Sir Hellsing."_

Walter had returned from Brazil. In that time, the Hellsing manor had become an entirely different home. He did not expect the dungeon to be reopened. He did not expect to see the sublevels stained with the blood and corpses of Hellsing officers and Richard Hellsing.

More importantly, he did not expect to see Alucard with Integra. The young master of the Hellsing Organization had sustained minor injuries but claimed that Alucard had saved her life. When she explained the situation to her butler: Richard's betrayal, the attempt on her life, resurrecting Alucard from his slumber, and executing her uncle with his own gun, everything changed.

With Walter's return, her entire life changed forever.

_"He saved your life, and he will continue to protect you. Despite that… do not forget what he is. What is in his nature..."_

That night, before she went to bed, Walter asked her for a private word. Alucard, intrigued by this act of suspicion, wanted to be part of the conversation. It wasn't until Integra ordered him to leave her alone and to stay out of the conversation that he complied. And it was that night that she and Walter had the most important conversation of her young life, second only to her father's dying words.

How to live with the King of Vampires under your roof…

_"You must always keep your distance."_

Vampires were creatures of lust. Everything about them was used to lure in prey, through intrigue, sexual attraction, and charm. A simple touch would cause temptation, and to continue this would cause desire, until the prey would eventually give in. It was sexual predation at it's finest: coaxing and grooming his prey into accepting and tolerating small, seemingly trivial touches before gradually moving into something heavier… something dangerous.

Therefore, he was never, ever, allowed to touch her. He was to always keep his distance from her. If he was within at least two meters of distance from her, he was too close and would need to be dealt with. She would never allow him to put his hands on her unless it was solely to ensure her protection.

This in turn would prevent further, more inappropriate contact: touching her face, attempting to touch her hand, embracing her, coming into contact with any major arteries, among other things…

_"Any unwanted contact is to be met with punishment. He will use your hesitation against you."_

Immediately, Integra's young mind began to conjure imaginary situations as Walter spoke to her. He told her that Alucard liked to toy with his prey, and with his former masters. He would openly defy an action just to push the limitations of the one in charge. What if he were to kill a man in front of her? What if he grabbed Walter by the throat and commanded her to do something she did not want to do in exchange for his life? When she asked him of this, Walter partially dismissed it: while Alucard would obey her orders, the fact that she had conjured this scenario on her own proved that she was taking this lesson seriously. He was impressed.

_"Remember who, and what, he is: a monster. His past is long and bloody; he has seen, and done, unspeakable acts, and will surely do them again…"_

Her mind flashed back to her history lessons. Vlad the Impaler had been a brutal creature. Men, women, and children were impaled and tortured on a whim. The poor were burned alive, a messenger returned to his master with his turban nailed to his skull, his female servants were raped and killed for his sheer amusement. The story of Dracula returned to her as well; his seduction and corruption of sweet Lucy Westenra, his very suggestive attempt on Mina Harker's life, the brides he kept in his castle, and the torture he inflicted on Jonathan Harker. New stories of Walter and Alucard's time in World War II were revealed to her by the end of this night.

Walter was reinforcing the idea that Alucard was not only good at inflicting pain and brutality: he took great pleasure in it. It was then that she learned of the Restriction Levels: the experimentations that kept his full strength in check. The leader of the Hellsing Organization would be the only person capable of controlling when Alucard could use his stronger abilities and how long he could use them.

This was the only way to keep him from using unnecessary force. Otherwise, Walter assured her, he would happily use it.

_"Control your thoughts. Keep him out of them."_

Up until this moment, she was unaware that Alucard could see into her mind, or at least to some degree. Because she was his master, there would be a connection or bond between them. It was how the Restriction Levels operated, and it was the very reason why he would obey her commands. This came at a price: he could peer into her mind and know her thoughts. Therefore, Walter encouraged her to train her thoughts around him. To intentionally forget information that may be too dangerous for him to know, to never let him know what she was emotionally attached to, to replace feelings of what frightened her with feelings that angered her.

Anger was something Alucard would learn to cope with; fear was something he could use.

_"Do not forget... the reason he is bound to you is strictly because of your bloodline. Of what your legacy is. If you were any other woman, another man's daughter, he would not hold this same respect for you."_

Perhaps Walter said this to demonstrate this technique. Integra's immediate thought was to be intimidated by that knowledge, but her eyes hardened and her brow shifted into a glare. If she was not the daughter of Arthur Hellsing, Alucard would have done away with her like he did with the women in his past: murder her, rape her, change her into a demon like he did with Lucy Westenra. At that, she shook her head. She was her father's daughter, the descendant of Abraham Van Hellsing, the very man who put that demon in his grave.

Nobody was going to do that to her.

_"Most importantly... never, ever, allow him to think he has power over you. Always keep control of your actions. Never lose control."_

Again, it went hand in hand with Alucard using her hesitation, or even her own thoughts, against her. Any small temptation he may offer her, may it be the pleasures of lust or immortality, would place him in the position of master. And she would not have that. He would bow to her. He would obey her commands. And she would be damned if this monster would ever take control over her…

She never imagined in a million years that she would be keeping a vampire in her home. As such, she never would have thought that keeping this monster would come with such discipline. In time, this discipline would encourage her to dress and behave in a manner that was quite different from her sweeter, twelve-year-old self. She would trade in her dresses and gowns for pants, suits, and other masculine attires. She picked up her father's smoking habit, giving her yet another masculine look. She began to work harder, concerning herself more with business rather than her own social needs. This in turn made her intelligent and calculating, someone that could not be intimidated or outsmarted.

At first, she thought if her appearance and attitude would alter, it would deter the beast. She learned, however, that he was not so easily swayed. Whether it was to toy with her to suit his own ends, or whether he truly found her fascinating, his attraction towards her never faltered.

Under any other circumstances, she may have found that flattering. Perhaps he did respect her to some degree… but in the back of her mind, she always had to consider the alternative…

_"Know him, Sir Integra. He is both your ally and your enemy. Know how he works, know what he is capable of. And make absolutely sure that he knows his limits."_


End file.
